ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - Sixteenth-ranked UC San Diego parlayed two errors into two runs and turned three key double plays in defeating Sonoma State University, 4-1, in the first game of a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) doubleheader Saturday at Seawolf Diamond. Though the Tritons grabbed a 3-1 advantage in the sixth inning of the seven-inning nightcap, a four-run bottom half sent them down to a 5-3 defeat and a split of the twin bill.
Following the day's results, first-place UCSD moved to 21-9 overall and 17-5 in the CCAA. Sonoma State is 17-15 overall and 11-12 in league play. With the Tritons having taken Friday's opener, 4-3, the morning triumph assured them of at least a share of the four-game series, thus extending a streak of not losing a CCAA set to 15, including all six in 2015.
UCSD concludes a season-long six-game road stretch, and its series against Sonoma State, with an 11 a.m. first pitch on getaway-day Sunday at Seawolf Diamond. Links to a live video stream, free of charge with audio commentary, and live stats, are available here. Follow all the action around the league via the live scoreboard here.
Game One
UCSD capitalized on a Seawolf error to push across the day's first run in the second. Troy Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS) reached on a bad throw to lead things off, moved to third on a pair of right-sided groundouts, and trotted home on a first-pitch single to center by Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS).
A promising second began with the Tritons loading the bases on successive singles by Gradeigh Sanchez and Justin Flatt, and a five-pitch walk to Jack Larsen. A Zach Friedman sacrifice fly made it 2-0. That's all that UCSD would add for the frame.
Sonoma State got that one right back in the home half, as CCAA Player of the Week Alex Crosby poked a two-out, first-pitch RBI single through the left side to plate teammate Dustyn Macaluso, who had singled with one away and stolen second.
The home side threatened to knot the score in the fourth after Eric Ehlow doubled to lead off. Steven Moen's liner was caught by a diving Erik Lewis near the second-base bag, however, with the senior flipping to his shortstop, Tyler Howsley, to double up Ehlow. Alon Leichman then got Devin Alexander looking on three pitches.
Sonoma State got a one-out single to third base from Hayden Cronenbold in the fifth, but he was stranded at second as Triton third baseman Cruz made a pair of strong defensive plays on a Macaluso bunt and a Jourdan Weiks grounder toward the hole.
Leichman again wriggled out of trouble in the sixth thanks in large part to Cruz. SSU put runners on first and second through a leadoff bunt single by Crosby and a four-pitch walk with one away to Ehlow. Moen then slapped a ball to Cruz, who calmly stepped on the bag before firing in time across the diamond to end the inning.
UCSD doubled its lead in the seventh. Coe opened with his second double of the year, and pinch-runner Tim White was bunted over perfectly by Howsley before beating the throw home on an RBI fielder's choice grounder to first by Sanchez.
The Tritons took advantage of a second Seawolf error in the eighth to arrive at the 4-1 final. Lewis reached on another awry throw with two gone, moved to second when Brandon Shirley drew a walk, and scored as Brian Choi worked a hitter's count at 2-1 and dropped an opposite-field RBI single into the gap in right center.
Leichman (5-0) went six complete innings and allowed the one run on six hits and two walks, striking out four. The junior right-hander cruised through a nine-pitch first with a strikeout and two groundouts. The Seawolves put two men on through an infield single and a walk, both with one away, in the second, but Leichman got out of it with a strikeout and a fielder's choice groundout.
Dan Kolodin took over in the seventh and got Macaluso swinging at a 2-2 offering with Cronenbold at second. The senior right-hander needed just 11 pitches to get through the eighth with two groundouts and a strikeout. Kolodin cleaned up a leadoff Ehlow walk in the ninth, getting a fourth strikeout before Alexander lined out to Friedman at first for an easy twin killing and a team-best fourth save.
Flatt went 3-for-5 with his first collegiate stolen base. Coe was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Larsen hit his team-best 10th double in the ninth, with Flatt thrown out at the plate on the play. UCSD put its leadoff batter on base in five of nine innings.
Junior right-hander DeVon Golden (1-3) gave up two runs, one of them earned, on four hits and two walks over 5.0 frames. He struck out five, including two in the fifth, and had one 1-2-3 inning in the fourth. Ehlow was 2-for-2 with two walks and a double, while Crosby went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Game Two
The nightcap featured Sonoma State starter Ryan Luna, the reigning National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NBCWA) National and West Region Pitcher of the Week, as well as the CCAA Pitcher of the Week, as the junior right-hander was coming off of a seven-inning no-hitter in his previous outing at home on March 20.
It took the Tritons just two batters to produce their first hit off of Luna, with Flatt lacing an opposite-field double just inside the foul line in left. A strikeout and a groundout got SSU out of the inning.
UCSD almost struck first in the second when Cruz drew a walk and scooted his way over to third with two gone on a pair of Luna wild pitches. Luna then fanned Brett Levy, but the ball got past his own catcher. Under threat of a third wild pitch leading to the game's first run, Spencer Neve picked it up and fired to first for the out.
Luna was not so fortunate in the third as the Tritons staged a two-out rally through a four-pitch walk to Flatt and opposite-field Larsen single through the infield. With runners at the corners, Luna did indeed unleash a third errant toss, to plate Flatt.
UCSD starter Trevor Scott was unable to come up with the shutdown frame, walking No. 9 hitter Matthew Richards for his first base-runner, ahead of Macaluso's triple.
The Tritons squandered a golden opportunity to regain the lead in the fourth. Luna issued back-to-back walks to Cruz and Lewis to start things off. White then came on to do one thing and one thing only, the redshirt freshman expertly putting down the first sacrifice bunt of his college career to move both teammates into scoring position. A pair of ground balls, however, got the Seawolves out of it unscathed.
Singles by Sanchez and Larsen around a strikeout put UCSD in business again in the fifth with men at the corners. Larsen overturned an 0-2 deficit to shoot Luna's 2-2 pitch to right, and then got a great read on a pitch in the dirt to put Tritons at second and third with less than two outs for the second straight frame. Once again, they were unable to turn that scenario into runs. Luna fanned Friedman, walked Cruz to load the bases, and on the next pitch, induced a fielder's choice groundout.
UCSD kept producing scoring chances in the sixth. Shirley was plunked with Luna's second toss, and got sacrificed to second by Levy ahead of a four-pitch walk to Howsley that finally signaled a change on the mound for the top of the order. With Alexander moving from right field to the mound and Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS) pinch-hitting for Sanchez, a balk moved Tritons to second and third with less than two away for a third successive inning.
Plantier struck out, but the third time was finally the charm, as Flatt came up big with a two-run double off the wall in right to make it a 3-1 game.
The Tritons were unable to hold the lead, as the home side got consecutive singles to open its half by Macaluso and Weiks. Crosby's first-pitch single up the middle halved the deficit and ended Scott's day. The Tritons went to another senior left-hander in Chad Rieser, but after a walk to Daniel Caresio and facing a 2-0 count to Neve, freshman right-hander Jack Rupe, Jr. (San Marcos/Mission Hills HS) joined the fray in a pressure spot. Neve wound up likewise accepting a free pass, tying the game at 3-3. Alexander (2-0) then got himself the winning decision by chopping a two-run single over Cruz and into left field. He worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh.
Scott (4-4) threw five-plus innings allowing four runs on five hits and one walk. He struck out two. Scott retired the first eight Seawolves in order on four groundouts, two strikeouts and two fly balls, and set SSU down on seven tosses in the fifth.
Flatt was 2-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, a run scored and two RBI. Larsen went 2-for-4, while Cruz walked three times in his three plate appearances.
Luna went 5.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits, six walks and a hit batter, fanning six with five wild pitches. Macaluso was 2-for-3 with the RBI triple.
Triton Notes: Gradeigh Sanchez earned his fifth and sixth starts in a row, all in the leadoff position ... Sophomore outfielder Jack Larsen was back in the lineup in center field for both ends of the double dip after missing his first game of 2015 on Friday, having started each of the first 27 contests ... Zach Friedman made his second and third straight starts at first base ... Steven Coe made his first appearance at catcher since March 8 in game one, after missing the previous four ... Larsen's third-inning walk in the opener was his 20th of the season, and the first of the series for the CCAA's walk leaders after the Tritons had failed to draw a base on balls for the first time in 2015 on Friday ... Larsen's steal in that third frame was his sixth on six attempts this year and eighth without being caught in his career ... Tyler Howsley's sacrifice bunt late in game one was his team-best sixth ... The three walks by Troy Cruz in game two increased his league-leading total to 26.
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